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Liberty erupts after halftime, pulls away from Coastal Carolina 34-17
Deshawn Purdie passed for 216 yards and two touchdowns and Kam Davis ran for 166 yards as Liberty turned a halftime deficit into a 34-17 victory by outscoring Coastal Carolina 24-0 after the break.
CONWAY, S.C., 2026-09-24 — Liberty erased a 17-10 halftime deficit and finished with a 34-17 win over Coastal Carolina on Thursday evening, paced by quarterback Deshawn Purdie and running back Kam Davis. Purdie completed 11 of 16 passes for 216 yards and two scores, while Davis carried the ball for 166 yards and a touchdown in the Flames’ third straight victory to open their season 3-1.
The game turned in Liberty’s favor immediately after intermission. The Flames converted their opening three possessions of the second half into points, the decisive sequence culminating in backup quarterback Ethan Vasko’s 8-yard sneak on fourth-and-1 — a play set up when Purdie scrambled 15 yards on a third-and-16 to keep the drive alive.
Receiver Makai Jackson gave Liberty an early lift with a 58-yard touchdown catch over the middle in the first half, breaking a tackle on the way to the end zone. Jackson finished with 149 yards receiving and two touchdowns, accounting for much of the Flames’ big-play production through the air.
Coastal Carolina’s freshman quarterback Deuce Bailey threw for 213 yards with two touchdowns but also tossed two interceptions; his first pick came on his second throw of the game. The Chanticleers managed only three points on their first three possessions before rallying to score 14 points on their final two drives of the first half, taking a brief 17-10 lead on Tristian Gardner’s diving end-zone catch with 24 seconds remaining.
Liberty’s defense continued its strong late-game trend, having not yielded a fourth-quarter touchdown in four games this season. The Flames will travel to Delaware on Oct. 2, while Coastal Carolina remains home to face Georgia Southern on Oct. 3.